It's the Christmas Countdown
by theyorkshirelass
Summary: 25 Days of Christmas, What will the month of December hold for the Hogwarts students.   Help from the chocolate of my Tinkerbelle advent calander.
1. A christmas tree

_I own nothing which J .K. Rowling does._

_So it's the first of December and in honor of my amazing Tinkerbelle advent calendar, I have a special treat, well 25 treats but the last one may be late._

_A Christmas tree._

The Gryffindor common was bathed in starlight, the moon absent from the sky. The fire dwindling casting shadows across the room. The students were sent into a flurry of wrapping, cards and preparing to leave as the first of December arrived. One student however was still in the common room, as quite as a mouse. He slumped back onto the arm of plush arm chair. Running a pale hand through his ebony windswept hair. He had been working all night and finally he had finished. It wasn't much but he transformed the common room and it should last until the New Year.

The excitement left Lily restless as she tossed and turned sleep was eternally deprived from her. She shrugged a fluffy blood red dressing gown on with gold highlights and padded towards the common room. Absently walking down the stairs she hoped a walk to the kitchens, to get a hot chocolate would help her visit the land of dreams.

Towards the last step she gasped and tumble to floor missing the stop altogether. What she saw sent her heart racing. She hardly registered hands grasping around her own pulling her up.

The common room had been transformed into a winter wonderland. The carpet was now literally a carpet of snow. White and silver tinsel draped elegantly around the room with fairy lights wrapped into the tinsel. The fireplace featured stockings and advent calendars for every Gryffindor. Fake presents stacked high into the corners, with small flying reindeers and Santa's travelling around the room.

However it was the middle of the room what caught her attention a large tree stood tall and proud, dressed to the nines. Red and gold decorations adorned the tree, tinsel looped along the branches with baubles sparkling like disco balls. Candy canes also hung upon the tree tempting Lily to take a bite. At the top stood the most beautiful star, it spun while magically playing Christmas carols.

Lily gasped again, the sight of this grotto made Lily reminisce about past times when Petunia and herself would spend the day decorating the tree and eating gingerbread.

Lily looked towards who had caught her, a firm chest from years of quidditch; she looked towards the face and even as shadows flitted across his handsome face. His glasses slightly skewed from the hardworking. James had somehow got snow in his hair and Lily reached up to brush it out. James looked gratefully.

"Thanks"

Lily just nodded suddenly aware of the blush on her face. There was so many questions she wanted to ask, the common room was beautiful.

"Did you do all of this?"

"Yeah, urrm do you like it?"

"It's gorgeous James, but I think I should go."

"Lily there's no mistletoe."

She looked slightly relieved but double checked, James grinned at her checking.

"It's a really great tree James, you are amazing."

Lily suddenly poured out what she was thinking and shut up before she could say more, realizing she said James.

"Well Potter there better not be Mistletoe, Goodnight."

She rushed to her room forgetting the reason she went downstairs.

James trudged upstairs tired from his night adventures. The look on Lily's face was worth it, if she thought it was amazing then, what would the others think. They would hail him as a god. On the last step he faltered. It occurred to him she touched him and called him James, the Christmas tree was so worth the lack of sleep.


	2. A snowflake

_I own nothing which J .K. Rowling does._

_No. 2 held a snowflake, and I know England has seen a lot of this through the pictures my friends have _shown me, a feel your suffering.

Snowflake

The Gryffindor breakfast table was abuzz, as the students descended into the common room; they were shocked to see the common room looking like Santa's Grotto. The students naturally assumed it would be McGonagall the amount of transfiguration work required and for it to last through Christmas was astounding no student could pull that off. As students inspected their calendars and stockings their head of house entered delivering the new passwords and stood rooted to the spot, he eyes glazed with tears and a small smile adorned her face. Her hand fluttered to her chest gasping at the wonderful use of magic and the skill required.

"Who did this?" She whispered, the students remained silent and the two who knew said nothing, the mystery was too tantalising to break.

Their rumbling stomachs however stole them away from the Gryffindor common room and they journeyed down to breakfast, discussing who the mystery person could be.

Dumbledore

Nearly Headless Nick

The giant Squid

The possibilities where endless.

The smell of porridge, bacon, pancakes, coffee and various other glorious foods assaulted the students and for a moment made them forget how cold it was. Upon hearing of the glories of the Gryffindor common room, Dumbledore became slightly jealous of the inspirational magic and as a former Gryffindor, who was slightly adverse to the rules decided to treat the rest of the students.

Snowflakes fluttered and twirled down and danced in the air, caught on imaginary wind, tangoing and waltzing to a melody only heard by the flakes. The students gazed up n wonderment, squealing with delight. The Slytherins frowned and pulled their robes and scarf's tighter. They did not need more cold; they had enough of that from the dungeons.

The teachers looked around determined to catch the culprit however they could see no student with a wand drawn and the Marauders looked as much amazed. McGonagall glanced to her headmaster, the twinkle in his eye more pronounced than before.

"Albus, and did you also decorate the Gryffindor common room last night."

"That statement leads to the fact that I did both or neither however, I did indulge in all the students wishes in a 'snow day', however I now Mr. Potter to be highly advanced in your subject. He also ordered a few hundred candy canes from the house elves last night."

McGonagall sat in stunned silence, James Potter trouble maker; (one of her favourite students) had performed that magic and not owned up to it. A year ago he would have boasted, but he had somehow grown up. She looked out towards the sea of students and spotted him sat with the other pranksters and Lily's friends. As she took in the scene her heart swelled, for years he had been asking Lily out, arguing and fighting then asking Lily out again, she always thought they would be perfect and as if by magic they sat together smiling and laughing and there was no blood. James reached up and caught a handful of snowflakes; McGonagall could not hear the words but she recognized the colour of the spell. The snowflakes where charmed to stay forever un-melted and beautiful. Lily then blushed it could be seen from the staff table and they all saw, the love, even if never knew it that love could save and protect people.

James then presented the snowflakes to her and left leaving her to go even redder. The hall started to file out and move to their first lessons, as McGonagall stood to rise Lily stood hastily carefully cradling the snowflakes and she dashed out, probably to put the snowflakes in her room.

The power of a snowflake making two people come together left McGonagall in cheerful moods for the rest of the day, until she caught Sirius turning a beautiful snowflake into a pile of snowflakes flying at the Slytherin quidditch team as they were practising, secretly she wished the students were injured the score board was too close for her.


	3. A christmas caroler

_I own nothing which J .K. Rowling does._

_No. 3 has a…. is it a snowman is it a Christmas caroler, I'm not sure; I think it looks like a caroler. ProngsandI love the idea, would have messaged you but you disable it, but I have something in store for them snowflakes._

_Christmas Caroler_

Lily was sat in the Christmas grotto which was the Gryffindor common room. The plush crimson chair just the right distance from the fire was her favourite. Her legs hung other the side occasionally swinging as she re-read 'Emma' by Jane Austen, shouts outside the Gryffindor common room caused Lily to pause and brace herself for the onslaught of Marauders, because who else could it be. She reached up and plucked her snowflake bookmark from behind her ear and placed it delicately in her book, smiling at the day before. Just as she thought she saw Sirius stumble through the portrait hole, resembling a drunk with Remus and Peter supporting his weight, red in the face from the exertions. With a final heave they dropped Sirius on the sofa. Ignoring Sirius groaning and slurring both Remus and Peter collapsed into the opposite sofa.

"I thought he was in detention, for trying to maim possibly kill the Slytherin team." Lily was unsurprised that he could find a way to be drunk, it was Sirius after all.

Remus who was stronger than Peter had recovered enough to breath out,

"He was, they had to clean blackboard wipers." This explained Sirius, possibly the only person to enjoy that punishment, probably because he got drunk from this somehow, it was a mystery, and the teachers set the punishment because he would show up. The 'they' had Lily stumped, Remus saw her raised eyebrow and knew what she wanted.

"James"

Another raised eyebrow, Remus would tell James later that Lily cared enough to ask, well stay and listen it was close enough.

"Trying to steal the choir frogs for some reason." Remus and Peter than started to discuss the quidditch torment as if this was normal. Just then the devil stormed in clutching stacks of papers. He plopped down on the floor littering the table with the sheets of paper. Lily went to pick one up, Silent Night, Away in a Manger, Deck the halls and we three kings where among the many lyrics James had scattered on the table.

"Remus you're organized, I need each song in a separate book, while I sort out the lanterns. Lily was amazed to see Remus set to work with no need to ask why, either he guessed what was happening or he couldn't see the harm. James started to conjure jars and pour bluebells flames inside.

"What?" Lily was still wondering what was happening.

"Oh hi Evans, get your mates than where going caroling." James said this as it was a daily occurrence, she had no choice but to find the girls and tell them what the boys where up to.

Several minutes later the girls where downstairs wrapped in scarf's, gloves and hats, they would go around the castle and freeze, the boys had handed them each a book and a lantern and wrapped up similarly.

The night wore on and they had finally visited all but the Slytherins, other students had joined them and at least 20 where now singing in the halls. The dungeons where dark, it was nearly curfew and they could see their breath. Remus was privy to the Slytherin common room and knocked on the door, which trapped the snakes. As the door opened the group stepped back, arms length away from the just disturbed Slytherins. Before the first chord could be sung curse's and hexes where flung at the group.

The group dispersed, running through the halls, odd meows could be heard and running heavy feet just paces behind various students. Soon Lily and James where separated from everyone else, and the sound of Filches whispering coming towards them. A panic rose in Lily unsure of which way turn, in the long corridor with no armor to hide behind. James grabbed her hand and pulled her to towards a tapestry, before she could shout that it would not hide them, it was ripped aside and James hurtled down a passage with Lily still in tow. He screeched to halt and Lily ploughed into the back of him.

"Ooh sorry, it's just this is the end of the passage, the common room is just opposite." James suddenly stopped when he realized he was still grasping Lily's hand, Lily pulled away embarrassed and James turned to look past the tapestry.

"You should go the coast is clear, you wouldn't want the girls gossiping if we went in together." His smile was brilliant and he stepped to the side.

"This was fun Potter."

"Should we do it again?"

"What nearly getting by Filch, maybe not."

Flashing a brilliant smile Lily pushed the tapestry back, hiding James grin.

What an interesting month December turned out to be.


End file.
